Tetra Pak commits to net zero emissions

Global packaging giant Tetra Pak has today unwrapped a suite of new sustainability goals, including a plan to reach net zero operational emissions by 2030 and net zero value chain emissions by 2050.

The company announced today that it will set emissions reduction targets across its value chain in line with a 1.5C warming scenario through the Science Based Targets (SBT) initiative.

Tetra Pak said it will achieve these emissions reductions through the purchase and installation of renewable energy technologies and an acceleration in the development of low-carbon circular packaging and equipment. It noted that a "step change in investment levels in sustainable investment" was already helping the company reach its existing target to deliver fully-recyclable packaging across its product lines.

Collarboration with stakeholders across the value chain will also be central to achieving its sustainability vision, it added. The company confirmed it will work with suppliers to cut upstream emissions associated with energy use or virgin materials, while also working with downstream players - such as waste management companies, recyclers, municipalities, and customers - to establish more sustainable recycling processes.

Lars Holmquist, Tetra Pak's executive vice president of packaging solutions and commercial operations, said the company, which is "on track" to meet its 2020 goal to cap its emissions at 2010 levels, had a track record of delivering on its sustainability commitments.

"We believe that our ability to set and demonstrate progress in line with science and societal expectations, our innovation drive and the collaborative approach across the value chain put us all on the right path to achieve our new ambition," he said.

Tetra Pak also today revealed that it expects to source 80 per cent of its electricity from renewables by the close of this year, a significant leap from 20 per cent in 2014.

The firm, which is headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland and employs more than 25,000 people around the world, has been setting and meeting climate and energy targets since 2002, according to Holmquist.

"In 2017, we were the first company in the food and beverage industry to have our climate impact reduction targets approved by the SBTi," he said. "More recently, we joined the European Alliance for Green Recovery, the first pan-European call for mobilisation on post-crisis green investment solutions. Today, we're once again leading the way by setting ambitious net zero emissions targets that will drive transformation right across our sector and the entire value chain."

The European Alliance for Green Recovery, launched by the European Parliament in May 2020, is one of a number of high profile appeals calling on governments to deliver recovery packages that help curb climate impacts, facilitate the clean energy transition, and wean industries off fossil fuels.

 

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